Woman have way better hearing than we men do. They are well able to construct music in their heads, even if it's just a low-resolution boom-box. Some, however, do complain of headaches listening to such music. They need us to educate them on the benefits of high-resolution music to help them with their pains.

Women aren't influenced by the "gear" and the "hype," therefore they are more tuned-in to whether a system can play music properly, not just the sound. To them, and most people for that matter, this is what a music system should do and since most don't, they'd rather buy a frying pan that can fry properly. They rarely buy, because most of the high-end that they hear does not do what they expect! Play the musical message!

Women love music just as much as men, if not more so. Maybe they are put-off by how male-centric the hobby is. I know I certainly see as many women as men at concerts. And now that I think about it, the orchestra I last went to hear was a very even mix of men and women. So I have no idea why we don't see more in the hobby.

More guys are into technology as an interest, and well, that's an important step towards audiophiledom. Now why women aren't so interested in tech, I'll never get. Barbies versus amplifiers, no contest!

Submitted by Al in Michigan (not verified) on November 21, 2010 - 10:17am

Prior to arriving at the Audio Karma show in Detroit this year my buddy made mention of the fact there would be a lack of females in attendance. We encountered five throughout the course of the day, including the two working the welcome table.

I think hardware, equipment, cables, etc, is a "guy thing." Flipping switches, levers, making adjustments&#$151;girls are just happy to listen to a pleasing sound from almost anything of decent quality without a lot of hassle. Sounds like the success story behind the Bose radio, eh?

Women are very driven by appearance, the ability to impress. There may be exceptions, but the boxes, speakers, wires, and complexity of use are all negatives. Stainless steel appliances and a big diamond are more important. Sound is, by American culture, not fashionable, waste of money, and an eyesore. After all, with Bose, what more could you want? Thirty years of commercials take their toll. I am sure someone will take exception, but go into a big retail store and compare sound systems to ultra-slim televisions, or even the appliance section. Things like the non-standard HDMI "standard" and coffee table of remotes does nothing to help.

Simple, they can't wear it. They can't wear an amplifier, turntable, or speakers and impress their girlfriends at lunch after golf or tennis. Same reason they don't care about cars, home theater, watches, or any of the other techno-mechanical things that fascinate us guys. If you can't spread it on your face with a brush or wear it on your body—in other words, if it doesn't make you look younger and more attractive to the opposite sex, they couldn't care less. Same reason they're aren't many straight guys in the fashion industry, it just doesn't compute for us. Sexist? Yes. True? Yes.

I think it is a natural phenomenon about general interests/characteristics of men and women. In my opinion, it is more a masculine tendency, to be attracted by things that represent higher value, quality, or prestige. Besides, I would rank men as the better sensualists! There must be a reason and an etymological sense for ending up with a phrase like "man of pleasure." Hi-fi is not only about music or reproduction of sound. It has many other aspects to it, that are more likely to be perceived by men. Hi-fi represents technological progress in the service of different philosophies, aiming to achieve the highest possible quality in sound-reproduction. Hi-fi causes huge amounts of aural joy. It costs a lot of money. And, not only because of the last, but because of all these reasons, it represents prestige. Moreover, I also have the feeling that there are more men than women, capable of delving into music, feeling, and enjoying it, becoming one with it. Hope I am wrong, but so far I have not heard of many women shedding tears or getting goosebumps while listening to music and only because of the music playing. Hi-fi eliminates barriers and brings one closer to music. Hi-Fi makes it much easier to delve into music. For those who desire to delve into it. And if it is a fact that there is more men interested in hi-fi than woman, it either means that I am somehow right with my above mentioned feeling, or that women have not yet discovered what hi-fi can affect in increasing the levels of joy and emotion when listening to music.

Are there many folks in general in high-end audio? It's already a small part of the population. I suspect there are fewer women still because most have little interest in the quality of the sound they listen to, and a lack of interest in the technology behind it as well.